ACC Football Weekend Recap (9.20.09)

By ACC Blitz on Sunday, 20th September 2009

The performance of the week undoubtedly goes to Florida State, who went on the road to #7 BYU and absolutely man-handled them 54-28. It was a much needed boost for the ACC considering their recent history against stronger out of conference opponents. Virginia Tech also gave the league some good press, beating #19 Nebraska at Lane Stadium 16-15 on a TD pass with 21 seconds left, while North Carolina took care of business against East Carolina. It wasn’t all good news though with Maryland losing to MTSU, Virginia dropping one to Southern Miss and Duke getting waxed by #22 Kansas.

#20 Miami 33, #14 GT 17
Recap – Box Score
Jacory Harris lit up the Tech defense to the tune of 280 yards and 3 TD’s, while the defense put the clamps on Nesbitt and company. For the second week in a row, the Hurricanes took down a ranked opponent. After showing out against Florida State, many were wondering if Harris really had ‘it’ or if the Seminole secondary was just that bad. The utter domination he displayed now have those same critics pondering ‘Harris for Heisman’. The win puts Miami in the drivers seat for a trip to Tampa.

#24 UNC 31, ECU 17
Recap – Box Score
The Tar Heels overcame a sluggish start to put the Pirates away behind 227 yards and 2 TD’s from QB TJ Yates. The Carolina defense held the ECU offense in check most of the game, and limited them to only 55 yards rushing and 3 second half points. A definte bright spot for the offense was the play of the receivers. Coming into the season, that was the biggest question mark on offense, but freshman Erik Highsmith had 6 catches for 113 yards and a score.

Clemson 25, BC 7
Recap – Box Score
The Tigers walked away with a ‘W’ in what turned out to be the longest, and possibly the nastiest, game in school history. CJ Spiller tallied over 200 all-purpose yards, including a 77-yard punt return for a TD. But the star of the game was Clemson kicker Richard Jackson, who finished 6-6 on field goals, including a 52-yarder in the rain. Freshman QB Kyle Parker had an off day, and needs to get things in line quick with #15 TCU coming to town next Saturday.

#22 Kansas 44, Duke 16
Recap – Box Score
Hopes were high for Cutcliffes crew, and after the first quarter ended tied 7-7, it seemed as if Duke might give the Jayhawks a scare. But Todd Reesing and company turned things on from that point, outscoring the Blue Devils 34-9 to walk away with this one. There is a silver lining: this years Duke offense rolled up almost 400 yards against a normally tight Jayhawk defense.

MTSU 32, Maryland 31
Recap – Box Score
I won’t use this space to knock the Terrapins. Instead, let’s give credit where credit is due – MTSU came to play and did their job. They went yard for yard, and point for point with Maryland the whole game and topped it off with a 19-yard field goal with no time left to grab the win. It’s going to be a long season for the Terps; after a blowout loss to Cal, they narrowly escaped against James Madison and now have 2 losses on the year – all before ACC play has even started.

#13 VT 16, #19 Nebraska 15
Recap – Box Score
Tyrod Taylor must have a thing for the dramatic. Down by 5 with a minute to play, Taylor connected with Danny Coale down the sideline for an 80-yard completion. Three plays later, he scrambled for what seemed like an eternity and found Dyrell Roberts for a game-winning TD, giving the Hokies a 1 point win over #19 Nebraska and keeping hopes a alive for a top-10 finish.

Southern Miss 37, Virginia 34
Recap – Box Score
Al Groh was a happy camper heading into the 4th quarter, with the Cavaliers up by 10 and headed towards win number one on the year. But a late rally, capped off by a 57-yard TD run by Toy Harrison, rained on that parade. Virginia finally showed some life offensively, led by QB Jameel Sewell passing for over 300 yards and 2 TD’s. Things won’t get much easier next week with a trip to North Carolina.

NC State 45, Gardner-Webb 14
Recap – Box Score
Wolfpack QB Russell Wilson finally showed the for potential that had many calling him the best QB in the ACC this year, passing for 345 yards and 4 TD’s. He set a new NCAA record for most consecutive passes without an INT at 329. They also got 77 yards and 2 TD’s out of running back Toney Baker.

Wake Forest 35, Elon 7
Recap – Box Score
After opening the season with a loss to Baylor, and needing a last minute TD to beat Stanford, Wake Forest got things rolling early against Elon. QB Riley Skinner tossed for almost 300 yards and 3 TD’s as the Deacs took down an over matched Elon squad 35-7. The timing couldn’t be better for Skinner to get things on track. He’ll need it against the secondary of Boston College next week.

FSU 54, #7 BYU 28
Recap – Box Score
Ok, so I thought the Seminoles might keep it close – say within 10 points. But a 26 point victory? AT #7 BYU? Didn’t see that coming. The defense forced 3 INT’s from BYU QB Max Hall and QB Christian Ponder was laser accurate, going 21-26 for 195 yards and 2 TD’s. He also tacked on 77 yards rushing and a TD. The schedule looks fairly easy the next 2 games, getting a USF team that lost QB Matt Grothe for the year at home and follow that up with a trip to Chestnutt Hill to take on Boston College.

Things we learned this weekend:
- Jacory Harris is the real freakin deal. After leading the Hurricanes to a victory over rival Florida State, Harris torched Georgia Tech for 270 yards and 3 TD’s, completing 80% of his passes (yes 80% – 20 for 25). If Miami can pull off wins against Virginia Tech and Oklahoma, don’t be surprised to hear ‘Harris for Heisman’ talk. Matter of fact, if they start 4-0, the Hurricanes have a real shot at a trip to the BCS Title game.

- The Clemson defense is SICK. Boston College came in leading the conference in scoring at 44 points per game, and rolling up 400 yards, but managed a measly 7 points and 54 yards of total offense. The defensive end combo of Da’Quan Bowers and Ricky Sapp is almost unstoppable, and it doesn’t get an easier behind them with linebackers Brandon Maye and Kavell Conner playing lights out. The only downside to the game was the 25-7 final, which should have been at least 41-7. The offense constantly sputtered behind freshman QB Kyle Parker.

- Clemson kicker Richard Jackson is really really good. He converted all 6 of his attempts in the Tigers 25-7 win against Boston College. The most impressive thing I’ve seen was his 53-yard FG against Georgia Tech the week before, which could have easily been good from 60+. On the year he is 8-8 on PAT’s and 11-13 on FG’s. His 2 misses on the year could be attributed to opening game jitters. Amazingly he is 2-2 on FG’s of 50 yards are more.

- Florida State is officially bi-polar. How does a team change so much from week to week. After a stellar game against Miami, they needed 2 scores in the final moments to beat Jacksonville State, and then go on the road and destroy a very good 7th ranked BYU team. QB Christian Ponder didn’t pass for a ton of yards, but was laser accurate completing 21 of 26 passes for 2 TD’s and also rushed for 77 yards and a score. The Seminole defense managed to force 3 INT’s out of Cougar QB Max Hall, who only had 3 INT’s total coming in.

- Maryland looks BAD. With talent like Chris Turner at QB and Da’Rel Scott at RB, there is no reason they should need overtime to beat James Madison and lose to MTSU the next week.

- Two ACC coaches could be out in a hurry. One of which is the head man of the aforementioned Terrapins squad, Ralph Friedgen. The other is Virginia coach Al Groh, who has seen his Cavalier team start 0-3, low lighted by a loss to William & Mary to start the season.

- It looks like a 4-horse race in the ACC this year. Coastal: Miami is head and shoulders above the crowd, but next weeks game against Virginia Tech will be the real test. The winner of this one will end up in the ACCCG. Atlantic: Maryland, Boston College and Wake Forest look bad. The jury is still out on NC State. It’s looking more and more like a Clemson-Florida State battle for a trip to Tampa. Their showdown in Death Valley Nov. 7 could be the deciding game, considering both squads have 1 ACC loss (both against the Coastal Division).

- What has happened to Georgia Tech RB Jonathan Dwyer? After a breakout year and ACC Player of the Year selection in 2008, he was being touted as a Heisman dark horse coming into 2009. Their win against Jacksonville State saw him put up a modest 95 yards, but against Clemson and Miami he combined for a paltry 73 yards and 0 TD’s. In fact, he’s actually 3rd on the team in rushing behind QB Josh Nesbitt and fellow RB Anthony Allen.

By the Numbers:
5 – Number of ways Clemson specialist CJ Spiller has scored a TD (Rushing, Passing, Receiving, Punt Return, Kick Return), which is a school record

5 – Wins in 8 tries against Top 10 opponents for Florida State

5 – Number of total TD passes for Georgia Tech QB Josh Nesbitt – in his 3-year career

8 – Number of offensive possessions Florida State has scored on

10 – Number of Georgia Tech players to rush for 2,000 yards in their career. RB Jonathan Dwyer became the 10th.

15 – Number of times Clemson’s CJ Spiller has scored a TD of 50-Yards or more, a Clemson record